Police in Russia's Penza warn of punishment for spreading reports about mass conscription sweeps targeting men

Police in the Russian city of Penza have warned of punishment for spreading "fake reports" about the detention of men and their deployment to the war against Ukraine.

Source: Meduza, a Latvia-based Russian media outlet, citing the Department of Russia's Interior Ministry in Penza Oblast

Details: The police said in a statement that over the past few days, "fake" reports have been spreading online about "numerous detentions of men by police officers for dispatch to the Special Military Operation zone" – the term Russia uses for its war against Ukraine.

The Interior Ministry claims that police officers are working as usual, preventing crimes in Penza and the surrounding region, and that "blowing this situation out of proportion" is leading to a "surge in crime and impunity".

Three days earlier, a Telegram social media community and chat group appeared in which Penza Oblast residents warned about raids and mass conscription sweeps, according to 7x7. The channel had over 600 subscribers when the report was published.

In mid-June, residents of Penza began reporting on mass conscription sweeps targeting men of conscription age, who were then forced to sign military service contracts. Videos appeared on social media showing women trying to fend off men being taken away in minibuses.

Penza's chief military conscription officer called the video staged. The Department of the Interior Ministry in Penza Oblast denied reports that officers are conducting mass raids, detaining men and forcing them to sign contracts. Local residents say the raids are continuing, but local media outlets are not reporting on them, Meduza notes.

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